Homura 1944
by Damination
Summary: Homura's time magic mistakenly sends her to German-occupied Poland in 1944. There, she uncovers both tremendous power and terrifying evil.
1. Chapter 1

Homura tumbles from the sky, past flak fire, past lumbering bombers, down into a burning city. _Bam!_ She crashes through a clock tower, sending broken bricks and jagged wood flying.

She awakes to find herself bleeding, in a cave of rubble, her soul gem darkening fast. A concrete slab crushes her leg. _I can't explode my way out- any more damage and I'll die._

On cue, a familiar slinks into the light.

"Kyubey! Where is this? Where's Madoka?"

"How strange. You know me, but I don't remember _you_ at all, Japanese girl. That's a soul gem, isn't it? You don't look to be from this timeline."

"First, get me out of here- "

"Do I _look_ like I'm strong enough to lift that concrete? More importantly, that makes you the second magical girl to come here from a different time and place. I've formed a theory about it."

"No point holding back. I'll be dead soon anyway."

"A few years ago, our civilization faced a crisis: a couple executives at our biggest energy bank had been fabricating their accounts, and in reality we were near total energy depletion. So, we decided to replenish our stores by harvesting intense emotions for a short period on this planet. So we started a war. The results so far are fabulous- we didn't realize modern humans could kill and torment each-other on such a grand scale. The concentration camps are a tremendous energy source."

"...Every time you speak, you manage to disgust me even more."

Homura falters, her eyelashes flickering. _Madoka- will I see you in the end_ _?_

"Don't worry. It will end soon. We're helping the humans make a fancy bomb to drop on Japan, so that will- "

 _Splat._ Kyubey explodes in chunks of pink flesh. A shadow blocks the light above. A girl.

" _Bist du tot, mädchen?_ "

 _Is that- German?_

Gazing up at the shadow, thinking of Madoka, Homura blacks out.


	2. Chapter 2

Homura wakes to the sound of artillery blasts, a constant barrage. _My soul gem…_ She fumbles for the little cage and holds it up to her eye- it's pitch black, wrapped by tiny red magic threads which keep it from shattering.

She sits up, looks around- she lay on the altar of a Gothic cathedral in ruins, its pews burnt out, its stained glass windows shattered, slabs of stone fallen from the high vaulting roof. Another girl sits idle on one of the slabs, lit by a shaft of overcast light from above. Her long blonde hair is up in a tight professional bun. Her uniform's black velvet, with a black cap. She holds a heavy book in her hand, reading in the gloomy light, even as explosions outside send tremors through the heavy stone around her.

"What happened to my soul gem?" asks Homura, converting her words to German, straining her magic toward the unusual purpose. _I can translate her words too._

"You've become one of us- the Valkyria," she closes her book and it vanishes in a swirl of shadow-magic. She steps over, her heavy boots echoing in the church. She stands a full head higher than Homura. "-we live in the twilight, on the brink of despair. We're enslaved creatures, agents of a cruel power."

"So you're the girl who saved me?"

"I didn't save you; I cannot save you. I only postponed your final ruin."

"But there was a girl- Kaname Madoka. The Law of Cycles. She wished to save all magical girls from ultimate despair, in all time periods- "

"Yes, we know. Her wish reached all of history- except a single short period. This one. Here, the energy unleashed by immense despair overpowers even the Law of Cycles. Here, only we Valkyria survive, girls cursed to keep going no matter how horrific our existence or immense our despair, bound by a curse created by human hatred and madness beyond all comparison."

As she talks, the girl stares down at Homura with a piercing, brutal, terrifying intelligence. It's a calculating, cold mania. Homura finally looks away, staggering back to the altar. _Where is this place? What kind of place can create a person like that?_

"Who are you?" Homura finally asks, afraid to hear the answer.

"Mila. Lieutenant Mila- yes, we Valkyria have ranks. And you- you're Akemi Homura. How do I know that? Because this isn't the first time you've come here."

"What do you mean?"

"-Come. You'll understand soon enough," Mila sneers, staring down at Homura. "You'll understand what this is all about."

Mila turns on her heel and steps through the rubble, walking straight out of the cathedral. Homura follows warily, pulling knots from her hair and magically fixing her torn clothes as she walks, squinting her eyes against the acrid smoke and blinding light as the harsh sun emerges from behind a cloud.


	3. Chapter 3

Homura follows Mila through a ghost town in ruins as the sun sets. The moon rises, huge on the horizon. Hundreds of shattered windows gape, darkening, watching Homura. Distant fire streaks the sky; a fleet of bombers just came under heavy fire.

Mila stops in front of a field of ashes and collapsed stones. A few crows scatter; a single black feather slowly falls to earth.

"A synagogue stood here once; it preserved many ancient and beautiful objects. It even held a magic weapon created in biblical times, a relic of a magical girl." Mila steps out into the field of ruins, walking along a stunted wall of charred bricks. "The people who lived in this part of town were some of the first sacrifices when the incubators started to carry out their plan. Like sparks in the engine of torment."

Mila raises her hand, gathering black magic. She unleashes it all at once, scattering ashes and debris far and wide. Homura shields her eyes with her arms, digging in against the powerful vortex of wind. Then the wind stops, as suddenly as it began, and all is still. Mila jumps down into a small puddle revealed by her magic, bends over, and pulls from the muck a slender wooden bow dripping with black muck. Mila purifies it in a dark burst, revealing beautiful laminated wood, and a crowned tip designed as a pink flower, bright in the colorless grey all around it. In an instant, Homura feels her heart leap; she steps forward, shouting-

"- Madoka! That bow is..."

An angry glance from Mila silences her. Then, Mila relaxes a little.

"You really are Homura after all; you have the same sickening obsession, the same greedy posessive look as her. I can see how much you want this bow, how far you'd go to get it. But I'll hold onto it for now. After all, it's what I originally came here to find, before Kyubey arrived and I found y- "

Homura stops time, her heart racing. Mila freezes. Homura walks over, calm and cold, and reaches for the bow-

 _Wah!?_ Silent hands of shadow rush in from all directions to grab Homura. She jumps away, barely escaping. Time unfreezes. Mila half-smiles, whispering:

"Bad girl."

"Why?! Why do you want that bow?" Homura shouts, trembling. "What's Madoka to you?"

"Nothing much. But she's a whole lot to you- the other you. Don't bother trying to take this bow by force. Her power protects me, and it's far greater than anything you could scrape together."

"...I think it's time I met this 'other me'," Homura hisses. "Where is she?"

Mila looks away, silent for a moment, wistfully swinging Madoka's bow back and forth, melancholy in the falling ash, only her golden hair lit by the red setting sun.

"You might not like what you see, Homura. Just- try to understand things before you jump to conclusions."

Mila leaps down, joins me in the spreading dark, and leads the way.


	4. Chapter 4

Some hours later, Homura follows Mila into a dark mansion, deep in the woods. Cobwebs stick to sparse furniture covered in rotting sheets, lit by faint chandeliers glowing with magic fire. In the half-light of a ballroom, sitting in a single rickety armchair, Homura finds a familiar face-

"Madoka!"

Homura rushes in, falling to her knees before her goddess, staring up into her downcast eyes. Madoka stares straight through her, her familiar face wearing a less-than-familiar expression. Homura takes her hand, forceful, hoping to find some life in her ideal, yet it's all for naught.

"What happened to her?" Homura half-whispers, her mind racing.

"After my mistress tore her from the Law of Cycles, she gradually lost more and more of her energy. The cause is unknown, but she requires a tremendous amount of energy just to survive."

Homura notices tiny particles of light drifting toward her from the corners of the room, like dust in sunlight. _It's not enough; she needs more. Here-_ Homura unleashes her magic into Madoka's hand, flooding her circuits. For a flickering moment, Madoka seems to recognize her, flashing a faint, slightly amused smile, before falling back into oblivion as Homura reaches her limit, barely able to maintain consciousness. Homura backs off, unable to look into the eyes of the girl she loves, empty.

"The other Homura brought her to this time period several months ago, as a last resort-because this was the only place with enough magical energy to sustain her existence," Mila steps forward, carrying Madoka's bow. "I spend most of my time hunting for powerful magical artifacts to disassemble as an energy supplement."

When Mila nears Madoka, the bow transforms into magical energy and surges into her, lighting up the room for a moment. Madoka raises her head, her eyes clear now, sharp and warm. She sees Mila.

"Mila..." Madoka's voice is soft, bittersweet; the sound of it, after all these years, sends shivers down Homura's spine. "Thanks again. I wish I could do something in return. Is Homura here?"

"She'll come soon."

"I had a dream... a nightmare," Madoka falters, remembering. "There were people, so many sad people, in striped clothes. And there was a huge war, and there were magical girls suffering over and over, and they couldn't escape even in death- "

"Relax. Save your energy. It was just a dream," whispers Mila, her hands on Madoka's shoulders. Homura tries to shout, to step into the light and show herself, but a fear grips her heart. _I'm not the Homura she's waiting for._ "Save your energy. Save it for Homura. Your time together is precious, after all."

"Ok- I will. Goodnight again, Mila."

The lights dim as Madoka gently lies back into her chair, pressing against faded red velvet. Mila stands behind her, looking down, her eyes in green-grey shadows. She glances at me, studying my face. Then, as if relishing my anxiety, she whispers luxuriously:

"Sweet dreams, Madoka Kaname."


	5. Chapter 5

Homura walks the veranda, unable to bear the stifling gloom inside. Above, huge old trees hang with strange moss, sinister, like something from a witch's labyrinth. They cast the decaying underbrush in shadow.

Mila leans beside the doorway, under the awning, watching the sky. The wind picks up, and with it the sound of rustling leaves. Soon, it darkens, and small raindrops start to fall. Homura, heedless, steps down onto the decrepit lawn, wandering over to old ruins. _Gravestones._ The stones, perhaps hundreds of years old, are too worn down to read, but a faint magical aura remains, similar to the black magic protecting Mila.

A lone light flickers, visible in one of the windows, keeping watch in Madoka's room. Suddenly unable to bear the silence and her own racing thoughts, Homura walks over to Mila. She stops before the awning, letting the rain run down her hair and darken her magical clothes.

"What is this place?"

Mila remains silent, as if she didn't hear. The sounds of wind and rain and falling leaves and distant thunder fill the gap. The drizzle turns into a proper shower, and Homura steps in under the awning, close in next to Mila. Their warm breath mingles in the damp air, their bodies almost touching. Mila turns her head, rigid and uneasy, and slips away, opening the door. Homura follows her inside, silent.

Mila lights a lantern. They step through the house, avoiding puddles forming as rain drips down through the decaying roof. Floorboards creak, drops drip, and outside a full-blown storm attacks the world with faceless chaotic rage. At times the enter house seems to shake and shudder, but the heavy foundation keeps it grounded. The wind whistles high-pitched through broken patches in the window panes.

Mila finally reaches a heavy door of oak deep in the belly of the house and puts down her lantern. Then, she takes hold of Homura's wrist, her grip unyielding.

"Beyond this door, you mustn't stray. I'll guide you all the way."

She unlocks the door with a key of black magic, then pushes it open. It creaks and yawns, as if tired from centuries of mistreatment by many masters. Mila picks up her lantern and steps over the threshold.

They descend a dark stone stairway, passing deep nooks and side passages in which Homura catches glimpses of strange objects, old books and statues and all manner of odd apparatus. The deeper they go, the more extensive these catacombs become. At times distant water trickles through secrete passages, but otherwise the silence turns oppressive and unearthly, far different from the constant drone of Mitakihara. To Homura, it feels like another world entirely.

Eventually they emerge into a cylindrical room with walls covered in strange carvings, depicting creatures as strange and varied as witches. One shows a group of humans devoured by a beast with five twisting tongues, its jaws wide, its teeth elongated and grotesque. The humans appeared resigned to their fate, lining up and solemnly waiting their turn. Another shows four young girls kneeling before a bizarre centipede-like creature covered in strange dark bumps. A second centipede latches onto one of the girl's ankles and seems to be sucking the life from her; she appears unnaturally aged compared to her youthful companions who stare on in pious indifference.

"Are these witches?" Homura asks, confused by the images. "Or familiars?"

"...There's far more to magic than you know, Homura Akemi. Truths hidden in the depths of history accessible to someone like my mistress, someone able to traverse the four dimensions. Truths even the Incubators do not know." Mila's eyes seem to glow as she speaks, as if possessed with a strange fervor, a demonic passion. "This place- here my mistress found the Gateway, a path to powers greater than any the Incubators could provide. Here lies the final key to delivering Madoka Kaname from her cruel fate."

Circling the horrific carvings along the wall, shuddering, Homura feels a vague dread. _To save Madoka- but at what cost?_

 _Oh, why did I come here? It seems my trials are not over after all, not so long as Madoka exists in this world. And not while I have strength left to fight._


	6. Chapter 6

Five dark holes branch out, equally spaced, like wheel-spokes- narrow, gothic-arched passages.

"Explore, while we wait," says Mila, lighting torches one at a time. "It's safe here. My mistress protects these rooms."

Homura pulls a flashlight from her shield's dimensional pocket and wanders. She reaches a small chapel with a reflecting pool, pitch black. _Plip._ A ripple. Then another. _Glug-glub-glog_ \- bubbles. Silent, a head emerges from the center of the pool- a head of hair. A death-pale, translucent, fish-like hand parts the hair, revealing a girl with smooth shiny skin, scales at the fringes of her forehead and chin, and gills on her neck.

"A newcomer disturbs my nap. Oh, won't you turn off that light!" The fish-girl begs, and Homura turns off her light, relying on her heightened senses and torchlight from the hallway. The fish-girl stares at Homura, curious. "Oooh boy. Now there's two of them. One was enough."

"Are you a magical girl?" asks Homura, crouching beside the reflecting pool, staring at the diffident oddity. "Did Kyubey make you like that?"

"Ugh. Humans are so narcissistic. Other species can become magical girls too, you know. Before you ask, I'm a _Yog-Soggolith_. We Yog-Sogs are way older than you humans, but you were all so nasty and violent and cunning, and we didn't have the heart to kill you, so we chose to give up the surface and live in peace in the depths."

"..." Homura sits down, trying to keep her head straight. _Kyubey never said there were Yog-Soggoliths! I guess we never asked._ "So how'd you end up here?"

"Not by choice. Your alter-ego stole me from my home. She questions me and brings me things from the world beyond the Gateway, since we Yog-Soggoliths retain some knowledge of those Ancients who once roamed this Earth. She won't tell me much, but from what I've seen, she seeks primordial powers that have no place in this era. She's dangerous! And she keeps me in this little pool besides... the only fish here are ugly blind creatures, cranky companions. It's oh so lonely!"

Homura feels for the fish-girl, remembering her own long nights staring into the abyss of her tortured solitary soul.

"Why don't you go home?"

"I'm scared to. She'll find me. And she'll hurt me, just like before…"

"Why? Why did this other me- " But Homura cuts herself off, knowing full well the answer. _For Madoka. Yes, I'd do anything... isn't that so?_ "...I'm sorry."

"I like this version of you more," she says, smiling like a fat sea-lion. "How'd you become like that other one?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

Yog-Sog-chan and Homura talk a long while, Yog-Sog cheerfully chatting about her deep sea home and fishy family, until Mila thunders in, carrying a torch. For a brief moment, she sneers down at Yog-Sog who cowers, covering her eyes, sinking to just above the water. Then she turns to Homura, laying a claw on her shoulder, pulling her up.

"It's time- come quickly. Once the Gateway opens, my mistress will appear, and she must not be kept waiting."


	7. Chapter 7

Purple shadows dance on the altar; dark smoky wisps flicker like flames. Mila grips Homura's hand with her chilly claws, black nails digging into the flesh, as she chants:

" _Wise gatekeepers of shadowed lands,_

 _Extend the bridge, a devil cometh-_

 _She'll boil the hearts and hack off the hands_

 _Of all who dare to block her path!"_

The dark circle widens, and a figure slowly crawls out, covered in black oil, twisted, terrifying. All at once, the demon spreads a wide pair of wings, splattering the oil againts the walls, and a sudden, intense flame engulfs it, burning away the oil, leaving only bright pale skin and a dress of black feathers. When the flames reach the monster's head, Homura shudders, recognizing her own face staring down at her with an all-knowing, cruel expression. The demon jumps down from her altar, face-to-face with Homura.

She places a black-gloved hand on Homura's cheek, her hand burning with dark energy.

" _Poor girl. You were never meant to come here._ " Her voice carries intense charisma, and Homura feels her emotions fluctuate wildly between fear and passionate curiosity akin to infatuation. " _But fear not. I will find you a role in this mess._ "

In a bright flash, the demon transforms her outfit into a radiant slim black officer's uniform, hiding her magical wings. She marches past us, ascending the stairs. We fall in behind her.

"Mila- report."

"Madoka's condition is stable," replies Mila, "but the war is not. The Germans are in total retreat in the East; this place could fall in a week. Our Valkyria are getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of new Soviet magical girls across the line. It seems the incubators met their energy quota and decided to tip the balance against the Germans to end the war- "

"It's too early. We need the war in Europe to last at least three more weeks," says the demon. "By then these physicists will have their bomb- and the energy released by its detonation will be enough for those monsters beyond the Gateway to intervene."


End file.
